Erector Spinae Muscle to Epicardial Visceral Fat Ratio on Chest CT Predicts the Severity of Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Background: Chest computed tomography (CT) is a valuable tool for diagnosing and predicting the severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and assessing extrapulmonary organs. Reduced muscle mass and visceral fat accumulation are important features of a body composition phenotype in which obesity and muscle loss coexist, but their relationship with COVID-19 outcomes remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the association between the erector spinae muscle (ESM) to epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) ratio (ESM/EAT) on chest CT and disease severity in patients with COVID-19.

One- or two-step? New insights into two-step hypothesis and rainbow-like theory for pitch class-color synesthesia.

Introduction: This study investigates the mechanisms underlying pitch class-color synesthesia, a cognitive trait in which musical pitches evoke color perceptions. Synesthesia in music particularly involves the association of pitch classes (e.g.

Nationwide multi-centric prospective study for the identification of biomarkers to predict the treatment responses of nivolumab through comprehensive analyses of pretreatment plasma exosome mRNAs from head and neck cancer patients (BIONEXT study).

Background: Nivolumab paved a new way in the treatment of patients with recurrent or metastatic (RM) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (RM-HNSCC). However, the limited rates of long-term survivors (< 20%) demand a robust prognostic biomarker. This nationwide multi-centric prospective study aimed to identify a plasma exosome (PEX) mRNA signature, which serves as a companion diagnostic of nivolumab and provides a biological clue to develop effective therapies for a majority of non-survivors.

[SELENON-related myopathy with scoliosis and respiratory failure since early childhood diagnosed through reassessment during pediatric-to-adult healthcare transition: a case report].

The patient was a 33-year-old woman with no family history of a similar disorder. At one year of age, she exhibited scoliosis and respiratory failure, necessitating a tracheostomy performed at 5 years of age (1990s). During that time, the patient was provisionally diagnosed with "non-Fukuyama congenital muscular dystrophy" via muscle biopsy.

All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Associated with Long-Term Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter in Japan: The Ibaraki Prefectural Health Study.

Aims: Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM) is causally associated with mortality and cardiovascular disease. However, in terms of cardiovascular cause-specific outcomes, there are fewer studies about stroke than about coronary heart disease, particularly in Asia. Furthermore, there remains uncertainty regarding the PM-respiratory disease association.

Inhibition of Aβ Aggregation by Cholesterol-End-Modified PEG Vesicles and Micelles.

: This study aimed to design and evaluate Chol-PEG micelles and Chol-PEG vesicles as drug delivery system (DDS) carriers and inhibitors of amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation, a key factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD). : The physical properties of Chol-PEG assemblies were characterized using dynamic light scattering (DLS), electrophoretic light scattering (ELS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Inhibitory effects on Aβ aggregation were assessed via thioflavin T (ThT) assay, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (native-PAGE).

X-Ray Shielding Polymer Based on Sequential Polycondensation of BiPh and Carboxylic Acids and Radical Polymerization.

Transparent X-ray shielding polymer films were developed by bulk photo copolymerization of in situ prepared bismuth carboxylate prepolymers with polymerizable exomethylene moieties and ,-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA). The bismuth-containing prepolymers were prepared via the polycondensation of BiPh, 2-octenylsuccinic acid (OSA), and itaconic acid (IA) bearing an exomethylene group for polymerization. OSA was a chain extender by intermolecular condensation and a stopper by intramolecular cyclization to inhibit cross-linkage.

Crystal Structures of Antigen-Binding Fragment of Anti-Osteocalcin Antibody KTM219.

Osteocalcin is a useful biomarker for bone formation and bone-related diseases. KTM219 is an anti-osteocalcin C-terminal peptide antibody. The single-chain variable region (scFv) and antigen-binding fragment (Fab) of KTM219 are applicable to the Quenchbody (Q-body) immunoassay.

Analysis of the Effect of Human Type I Collagen-Derived Peptide on Bone Regenerative Capacity and Comparison with Various Collagen Materials In Vivo.

: Autologous bone grafting is the first choice for reconstructive surgery in bone defects due to trauma or malignant tumors. However, there is an increasing demand for minimally invasive alternatives involving bone regeneration using artificial materials. Biomimetic materials that replicate the body's microscopic structure, such as Cellnest, are gaining attention.

Evaluating the Diagnostic Value of Lymphocyte Subsets in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid and Peripheral Blood Across Various Diffuse Interstitial Lung Disease Subtypes.

Diffuse interstitial lung diseases (ILD) include conditions with identifiable causes such as chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP), sarcoidosis (SAR), chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (CHP), and connective tissue disease-associated interstitial pneumonia (CTD), as well as idiopathic interstitial pneumonia (IIP) of unknown origin. In non-IIP diffuse lung diseases, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid appearance is diagnostic. This study examines lymphocyte subsets in BAL fluid and peripheral blood of 56 patients with diffuse ILD, excluding idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), who underwent BAL for diagnostic purposes.

Nerve Enlargement in Patients with INF2 Variants Causing Peripheral Neuropathy and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis.

: Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is an inherited peripheral neuropathy primarily involving motor and sensory neurons. Mutations in INF2, an actin assembly factor, cause two diseases: peripheral neuropathy CMT-DIE (MIM614455) and/or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). These two phenotypes arise from the progressive degeneration affecting podocytes and Schwann cells.

A Chromosome-Level Genome Sequence Reveals Regulation of Salt Stress Response in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum.

Salt stress disturbs plant growth and photosynthesis due to its toxicity. The ice plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum is a highly salt-tolerant facultative crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plant. However, the genetic basis of the salt tolerance mechanisms in ice plants remains unclear.

A Novel Sesterterpenoid, Petrosaspongin and γ-Lactone Sesterterpenoids with Leishmanicidal Activity from Okinawan Marine Invertebrates.

Leishmaniasis is a major public health problem, especially affecting vulnerable populations in tropical and subtropical regions. The disease is endemic in 90 countries, and with millions of people at risk, it is seen as one of the ten most neglected tropical diseases. Current treatments face challenges such as high toxicity, side effects, cost, and growing drug resistance.

The Gene Product STIL Is Essential for Dendritic Spine Formation.

Dendritic spine formation/maintenance is highly dependent on actin cytoskeletal dynamics, which is regulated by small GTPases Rac1 and Cdc42 through their downstream p21-activated kinase/LIM-kinase-I/cofilin pathway. ARHGEF7, also known as ß-PIX, is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rac1 and Cdc42, thereby activating Rac1/Cdc42 and the downstream pathway, leading to the upregulation of spine formation/maintenance. We found that STIL, one of the primary microcephaly gene products, is associated with ARHGEF7 in dendritic spines and that knockdown of resulted in a significant reduction in dendritic spines in neurons both in vitro and in vivo.

Impact of dysregulated microbiota-derived C18 polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolites on arthritis severity in mice with collagen-induced arthritis.

Objective: We aimed to evaluate microbiome and microbiota-derived C18 dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and to investigate their differences that correlate with arthritis severity in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice.

Methods: On day 84 after induction, during the chronic phase of arthritis, cecal samples were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing, and plasma and cecal digesta were evaluated using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Differences in microbial composition between 10 control (Ctrl) and 29 CIA mice or between the mild and severe subgroups based on arthritis scores were identified.

Challenges to promoting maternal respiratory syncytial virus vaccination in Japan.

Pfizer's Abrysvo vaccine is highly effective in preventing severe lower respiratory tract illness in those at high risk from the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Japan, like other countries, is promoting RSV vaccination among pregnant women, but it needs to do better. However, Japan is enduring a state of broad vaccine hesitancy.

DECODE enables high-throughput mapping of antibody epitopes at single amino acid resolution.

Antibodies are extensively used in biomedical research, clinical fields, and disease treatment. However, to enhance the reproducibility and reliability of antibody-based experiments, it is crucial to have a detailed understanding of the antibody's target specificity and epitope. In this study, we developed a high-throughput and precise epitope analysis method, DECODE (Decoding Epitope Composition by Optimized-mRNA-display, Data analysis, and Expression sequencing).

Co-occurrence of exercise-induced acute kidney injury and rhabdomyolysis in a holding cell at a police station: a case report.

We present a rare case of a patient with co-occurring exercise-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) and rhabdomyolysis. A 67-year-old man was referred to our department with AKI. Five days before referral, the patient had sudden-onset loin pain while banging and kicking on a door in a holding cell at a police station.

Discordance and Performance of the ARC-HBR and PRECISE-DAPT High Bleeding Risk Definitions After Coronary Stenting.

Background: The aim of the ARC-HBR (Academic Research Consortium for High Bleeding Risk) and PRECISE-DAPT (Predicting Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Stent Implantation and Subsequent Dual Antiplatelet Therapy) score definitions for high bleeding risk is to identify patients who would benefit from shorter or less intensive antiplatelet therapy after coronary stenting.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the ARC-HBR and PRECISE-DAPT score definitions for high bleeding risk in routine clinical practice.

Methods: Using nationwide registers, all patients in Stockholm, Sweden, who were discharged after coronary stenting with dual antiplatelet therapy (January 1, 2013, to July 1, 2018) were included.

Wristwatch pulse wave monitoring: assessing daily activity post-catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.

Aims: Atrial fibrillation (AF) leads to impaired exercise capacity, and catheter ablation (CA) for AF improves exercise capacity. However, the precise changes in daily activities after CA for AF remain unclear. The authors aimed to evaluate the changes in daily activities following CA for AF using a wristwatch-type pulse wave monitor (PWM), which tracks steps and exercise time, estimates burnt daily calories, and records sleep duration, in addition to establishing the rhythm diagnosis of AF or non-AF.

Immune evasion through mitochondrial transfer in the tumour microenvironment.

Cancer cells in the tumour microenvironment use various mechanisms to evade the immune system, particularly T cell attack. For example, metabolic reprogramming in the tumour microenvironment and mitochondrial dysfunction in tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) impair antitumour immune responses. However, detailed mechanisms of such processes remain unclear.

Safety of two-dose schedule of COVID-19 adsorbed inactivated vaccine (CoronaVac; Sinovac/Butantan) and heterologous additional doses of mRNA BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) in immunocompromised and immunocompetent individuals.

Immunocompromised individuals were considered high-risk for severe disease due to SARS COV-2 infection. This study aimed to describe the safety of two doses of COVID-19 adsorbed inactivated vaccine (CoronaVac; Sinovac/Butantan), followed by additional doses of mRNA BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) in immunocompromised (IC) adults, compared to immunocompetent/healthy (H) individuals. This phase 4, multicenter, open label study included solid organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients, cancer patients and people with inborn errors of immunity with defects in antibody production, rheumatic, end-stage chronic kidney or liver disease, who were enrolled in the IC group.

BMI gain and dietary characteristics are risk factors of MASLD in non-obese individuals.

This longitudinal observational study aimed to evaluate whether cardiometabolic factors and dietary characteristics are determinants of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) in non-obese individuals (body mass index [BMI] < 25 kg/m²). The study was conducted at the Japanese Red Cross Society Kyoto Daiichi Hospital. Clinical data were longitudinally recorded at annual health checks.

Significant Association of Cognitive Function With Long-Term Clinical Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background Patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) are often elderly, and perioperative and long-term risk assessments should primarily consider cognitive function, comorbidities, and procedural complexity. This study investigated the association between cognitive function and mortality in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis (AS) who underwent TAVI. Methodology This single-center, retrospective cohort study consecutively registered patients who underwent TAVI between December 2014 and December 2018.

MicroRNA-3145 as a potential therapeutic target for hepatitis B virus: inhibition of viral replication via downregulation of HBS and HBX.

Current treatments for hepatitis B virus (HBV), such as interferons and nucleic acid analogs, have limitations due to side effects like depression and the development of drug-resistant mutants, highlighting the need for new therapeutic approaches. In this study, we identified microRNA-3145 (miR-3145) as a host-derived miRNA with antiviral activity that is upregulated in primary hepatocytes during HBV infection. The expression of its precursor, pri-miR-3145, increased in response to the the virus infection, and miR-3145 downregulated the hepatitis B virus S (HBS) antigen and hepatitis B virus X (HBX), thereby inhibiting viral replication.